Beating the Odds: UFC Fight Night ‘Dos Anjos vs. Ferguson’

Diego
Sanchez probably smiled when he saw how little the oddsmakers
thought of him.

Sanchez entered his clash with promotional newcomer Marcin Held
as a substantial underdog -- he closed at +241, according to
BetDSI.com -- in the
UFC Fight Night “Dos Anjos vs. Ferguson” co-headliner on
Saturday at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. “The Nightmare”
walked away with a unanimous decision over Held (-291), drawing
29-28, 29-28 and 29-27 marks from the judges (online betting).

Held enjoyed some early success with his standup, but the Polish
leg lock connoisseur was undercut by subpar conditioning and the
infamous Mexico City altitude. His pace slowed to a crawl as the
fight drifted into the second and third rounds, and Sanchez
capitalized on the opening. He eluded Held’s submission attempts,
settled in guard and applied his ground-and-pound with punches and
elbows. Sanchez was dominant over the final five minutes, as he
sprawled out of a desperate Held takedown attempt, advanced to top
position and pummeled the Bellator
MMA veteran with strikes.

Tony
Ferguson (+128) continued his climb on the lightweight ladder
in the main event, as he recorded the most significant victory of
his career with a unanimous decision over former champion Rafael dos
Anjos (-150). “El Cucuy” leaned on a diverse offensive attack
against the favored dos Anjos, extending his winning streak to nine
fights.

Finally, former Bellator champion Joe Soto (+113)
made the most of his opportunity as a short-notice replacement for
Guido
Cannetti, as he submitted Marco
Beltran with a first-round heel hook on the undercard. Beltran
(-133) bowed out 97 seconds into Round 1.